I met with George Bryant and his group of eleven Canadian adventurers who were in Yuma to see the birds, flowers and nature at
their best. We headed out HWY 95 to the KOFA NWR. The vast fields of lettuce with all the varying shades of green and purple were a great primer for the desert wildflowers that awaited us just a few miles down the road. Lupine, Verbena, Heliotrope, Fiddleneck, Purple Mat, Fairy Duster, Brittlebush, Ocotillo.......everything was showing off its best blooms.
We hiked up Palm Calm to view the California Fan Palms. Side-blotched Lizards darted everywhere and numerous
species of butterflies were out. The morning started out cloudless but was now full of "popcorn" clouds which played shadows across the wide desert plain and the ragged peaks.
We could not have had better weather. We ate lunch in a side wash near Castle dome with Black-throated Sparrows and Costa's Hummingbirds flitting around us.

Went into the Imperial NWR visitor center and looked out on the marshes below which held few birds. Spring is coming on fast and migraters are migrating!
We tried to go North to some of the river view points but the road was still flooded from the 1.5" of rain that poured down in one night the previous week.
The roadside into Martinez Lake and the refuge is carpeted with Sand Verbena and Primrose.

A stop at the Yuma Territorial Prison ponds was amazing as there were lots of waterfowl, swallows, Ibis, etc..... A visit to the picnic area below the prison is always a great spot too and we had a White-tailed Kite put on a show for us. Returning to Yuma, the sun went down as cloudless as it had risen.
Eleven happy Canadians and one happy desert rat parted ways.
I am going to have to get up there one of these days. If the countryside is as great as the group of people I spent the day with it will be one of the best adventures I will ever have.